 Posted 17/05/2007 15:54:26
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| Canuck suggested this one. I know that with my under 9s most players are already established as defender, midfielder or forward. This might be because they had a great first game in that position, or because John Terry is their favourite player and they want to be like him. Any thoughts on how to break out of this cycle?
Dwyer
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Posted 18/05/2007 03:28:13
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| Dwyer, I always get this when a new player comes to try out -everyone is a striker - if they had their way, all I would have is 6 strikers and a goalie on the field! I too, have a U-9 son playing rep. this year and am coaching the team. Several boys came up and indicated they were strikers. My advice to them (and their parents) is that their is value to every position - if they really want to become a good striker they need to become a good defencemen as this position will be their primary opposition - know your enemy theory. The other more obvious one is that they are only 9 - let them experience some different postions now before they really DO get locked into some position at an older age. I had one boy who complained for half a season - now he doesn't want to go back and he is one of my best defensemen and his parents are happy too because they see just how good he has become. Cheers, Chris.
Chris Love
Head Coach
Thornhill Thunder Under 9 Boys Rep.
Thornhill, Ontario
CANADA
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Posted 18/05/2007 11:27:55
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When you are coaching skills you can observe young players at under 7 or 8 and see which ones are comfortable with the ball in front of them, i.e they continually get behind the ball or boot it in the direction they are running, be it towards their own goal or the opposition's, and the players that are happy to take the ball with back to goal or can change direction at will. That helps you sort out your defenders and attackers by Under 9s.
But as Chris points out young players develop at all sorts of speeds and it is up to individual coaches to notice changes in the characteristics of your players and let them experience other positions. A player who likes the ball in front of him will soon come back to the defence when he has experienced the ball coming at him/her from all angles.
Dave Clarke Soccer Coach Weekly Editor
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Posted 22/05/2007 21:32:46
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| Good thread - this is before the parents have their say! I have managed the same group from U7 to U16 and they have all changed roles. This has been a mix of hitting puberty at different ages and being able to physically compete for the first time, or developing pace, or persuading them that a spell at the back with more time on the ball and everything 'in front' of them will give them more football. I have been blessed with 5 left footers and we switched sides for crosses and cutting in, switched full backs for wingers and wingers for wing backs. Some parents said I was confusing them but my stock reply is that my job is to develop their skills and at 16 if they really want a single role (and very few do) then they are old enough to speak for themselves.
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Posted 23/05/2007 06:43:45
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| Excellent discussion, folks. In my view, all players should play all positions (with the possible exception of GK) until their mid-teens, give or take a year. It gives them a greater appreciation for the roles and responsibilities of all positions and promotes a far greater sense of team. It also reduces or eliminates the "blame game". I have coached U9 through U16 and in my experience, this approach also helps to promote the idea that we attack as a team and we defend as a team. With respect to goalkeepers, obviously we need to take a much closer look at kids with natural skills and an inclination to play that critical position, and I would suggest that U12 is (roughly) an appropriate age to identify those players.
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Posted 23/05/2007 09:54:44
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| I'm glad that this topic is here. I've just finshed my first season coaching 13 under 7's which was difficult . Got that number up now to 18 to split them into 2 more manageable teams for the forthcoming season. I knew roughly what position the players should play in but it ended up they played in a position that they preferred or more realistically what their parents preferred. All of my players wanted to play midfield. I found that no mater what position we agreed, they all tended to end up in the same part of the pitch anyway so my fastest player for example who I put upfront, scored in this first match there but drifted back into defence time and time again which made me think he's a natural defender. I wanted the kids to enjoy this first year and didn't want to tell them to play in a position that they didn't want to. They've enjoyed it immensively even though they didn't win one match
Woolston Rovers Warrington
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Posted 31/05/2007 03:14:38
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| I am enjoying this thread, and I think it is evolving. I am seeing comments not only how to break out of the "single position" cycle as the thread initially began, but also on criteria by which coaches select players for positions that suit them (at that time in their soccer career). And I think this is so important - we all have 7 players on the field at this age (U-9), but its where we put them based on their talent that makes up the 8th player! There is mention in the thread of comfort level with the ball, endurance, speed, etc. and with each position their is a distribution of skills that seems "more" appropriate for that position. A halfback need to have speed to come back when we are playing defensively and then to be part of the attack on the offense. The strikers need to be experts at, well, striking, and the defense need to know how to tackle and force the play to the outside. If we as coaches can recognize these skills as the boys move through their careers and insert them or develop them for these positions, I believe we will be successful as a team. I don't mean to pull the thread off a tangent, but it struck me as important and I thought it worthy to make note of it. Off to a tournament this weekend. Wish me luck! Cheers, Chris.
Chris Love
Head Coach
Thornhill Thunder Under 9 Boys Rep.
Thornhill, Ontario
CANADA
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Posted 17/10/2008 21:32:12
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| Great topic... This is sort of an age-old debate, isn't it? I think it's good to give players experience at a variety of roles but it's not always that easy. When I started playing in England (early 70s), there was little to it. You were what you were and that was that. I was/am left footed and was good at crossing and shooting - I think I was seen as a unique commodity in some ways. Ergo, I was a left winger (the old style) and was given the #11 shirt. Always. I have never played a minute of defence (or even midfield) in my life and I regret not learning how to play back there. With my team of kids now, I try to play some of them at a variety of positions and tend to base it on skill level and what kind of heart they have (we play 7 a side). So much depends on the cards you have. I'm lucky because I think I have a very very fast team and two of my quickest kids are defenders! They want to play back there - they both have a very advanced game sense for their age. With no coaching, they are excellent at letting the ball run out or clearing a ball out of play very calmly when chasing back and knwong they're under pressure. I've played one of them at forward and he can score goals but his passing and running to space needs work. The other one is much better off in defence - he's a rock! I have some very small quick kids I tend to play up front but will have them play midfield and conversely I have 2 larger kids who are not only my strongest physically but also the 2 with the most skills in controlling the ball. Of those 2, one I play as a forward sometimes and he scores bags of goals and the other (who is captain material - he's 7 going on 17) I play in defence and he's more than capable there. Each of those boys excel at any position. I have other players who need work on learning another position and it just takes time. And patience! My own son is an example. I just leave him as a forward now. He has a nice shot and beautiful technique along with being very good at passing. But he's very weak with tackling and is one of the slowest on the team. His technical skills, to me, mean he could be a good midfielder at some stage and as he improves on his weaker points, I'll work him in back there. I suppose what I'm getting at with respect to my own team is that almost every player learns 2 positions but we tend to have them play more of one of the two than the other. I just view it as a gradual progression and I'm not personally in favour of playing one of my forwards at defence for one whole game and then rotating him back to forward for the next. We work them into it in training and sometimes it depends on who's available and who's not for the next game and we adjust accordingly - so having them be versatile is helpful. I know teams that never ever switch the kids' positions around and little Billy is a full back forevermore. I'm also aware of other teams where the player will play many positions in the span of just one game. I'm somewhere in the middle!
Gav Coach - U8 Boys (Toronto, Canada)
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Posted 09/11/2008 18:30:59
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| A great debate. I think that all of the points are valid; but think that some children can be naturally gifted in a position. I run an U9 team and have a striker that was born to do that. His ball control and finishing ability are inate - I can't claim to have coached them into him - they've been there since day one. More importantly (what I think sets him apart) are his natural instincts to be in the right place at the right time. Watching the children as U6's, as mentioned - everyone wants to be a striker...but in reality they are all midfielders, except the rare one that naturally stays back and defends and the other that 'goal hangs' waiting for the ball. Unfortunately (for me) my defenders parents moved away but my striker is still with me scoring most every week. I've tried to move him around to open his eyes to possibilities - but even as a 7 year old right back inside 5 mins he was up front waiting for the ball. I decided then not to coach his instincts out of him, rather nurture as best I can. My thoughts - for what they're worth.
Tony
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Posted 2 days ago @ 08:58:55
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I have found the best way is up intill about the age of 12 or so you should rotate your players, atthe very least in practice matches and training sessions, so they get a feel for where they enjoy playing the most and you can evaluate where they are best suited.
YNWA
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